There are very few makeup products that makeup-minded folks band together and say are absolutely essential. Most makeup artists and beauty experts are more likely to say things like: “if you love eyeshadow, wear it — if it’s not up your alley, no big deal!” You don’t have to rock black eyeliner or contour makeup or even lipstick and often times a few swipes of mascara and a lip gloss in a neutral shade can pull your look together just enough to create a polished effect.
But there are a few exceptions to this “anything goes” outlook. If you are committing to applying foundation and concealer to your skin for a more evened complexion, you should never neglect one crucial makeup application step: applying primer first. Primer is the product many experts wouldn’t dream of doing without — especially if you have mature skin.
Here’s what you need to know about primer — why it’s important and how to apply it.
Take Care of Your Skincare First
Before you apply primer or foundation, it’s important to focus on your skincare. Jumping into makeup without a proper skincare routine can lead to mishaps such as applying base makeup directly over dry skin and making it look even flakier and more parched. Conversely, if you have oily skin, this can mean applying too many layers of product, which wind up sliding around your face and looking like — well, makeup.
If you have dry skin, find a moisturizer that gives you just enough hydration without adding too many surface oils to your skin — and then allow it to absorb for 10 minutes before putting on your makeup. And if your skin is oily, a lightweight moisturizer with ingredients that help take away the shine can put you in the best position to perfecting your makeup.
Step 2: You Absolutely Need a Primer
You’ve lived this long without using a primer — we get it. But the benefits of applying primer prior to foundation can’t be overstated, so even if it has never been a part of your routine, your makeup will only be enhanced once you start using one. When our skin changes with age, primer helps smooth everything out and give a soft-focus blurring effect. That means your pores, fine lines, and wrinkles will be diminished somewhat just from an application of primer. In addition to this, primer helps your makeup go on more smoothly AND it keeps it on your skin and prevents it from sliding around during the day.
Where To Apply Primer
It doesn’t take much primer to get the job done nicely. One or two layers of primer, at most, are all that’s needed. Apply primer anywhere you plan on applying foundation or concealer, but pay close to attention to areas like under the eyes and around the nose — places where many of us feel like we benefit from the most color correction or concealer.
Don’t Forget Your Eyelids
One place that’s easy to forget, but important to prime, is the eyelids. The eyelids tend to have discoloration, whether that means blue veins that become more prominent with age or some redness. Apply primer over the lid and allow it to absorb for a few seconds before putting on eyeshadow. You’ll notice your shadow colors are more vivid and pigmented, plus they’ll stay on longer.
Primer is invisible, so although you won’t see it on, you will feel it on (your skin will feel so smooth) and you’ll notice a big difference in how your makeup looks. You can find a number of primers in different price points, but you’ll easily find an under-$10 pick that’s perfect for you. Best of all, you can choose primers that have a green tint to combat redness in the skin and primers that are designed with additional hydration for dry skin or mattifying ingredients for oily skin. It may feel like a brave new world for anyone who has been doing their makeup just fine without a primer, but once you make the switch, you won’t look back.
